Six students from North and South
High Schools were named Semifinalists in the 2012 Intel Science
Talent Search, a program of Society for Science & the Public.
Intel (the former Westinghouse competition) is the country's oldest
pre-college science competition and is considered by many to be the
most prestigious.

Semifinalists each receive a $1,000
award. In addition, to recognize excellence in teaching and school
support of individual student research, respective schools receive
$1,000 per Semifinalist to support their science, math, and/or
engineering programs. Semifinalists will also be honored with
certificates of accomplishment.

The Semifinalist project descriptions
that follow are excerpted from the written abstracts that were a
required part of each student's research project.

Kristine's research project was "The
Preparation of Nanoparticle-Stablized Antibubbles Optimized for Long
Lifetime." Kristine examined the factors involved in the creation of
stable antibubbles, which are aqueous cores encapsulated by a thin
air film in a surrounding aqueous environment. A revised technique of
generating stable antibubbles through the coating of aqueous droplets
in water-repellant nanoparticles was thoroughly examined. For factors
affecting antibubble stability, Kristine discovered the presence of
an antibubble breakdown process that is temperature dependent and
utilized experimental data to calculate the activation energy for
this process. She also introduced propane into the gaseous layer of
the antibubble in place of air, resulting in antibubbles that lasted
up to 48 hours. A practical application of this process would be the
encapsulation of food ingredients to mask the taste of certain
ingredients or delay their release. Although further stabilization
mechanisms would likely have to be developed, Kristine's study
attempts to lay groundwork for the future.

Claire's project was "The
Neuropsychology of Social Instincts: A Behavioral and
Information-Theoretic Analysis of the Cues Involved in
Trustworthiness Evaluations." Understanding cues leading to
trustworthiness judgments can provide insight into communication.
Claire's project isolated cues to determine which are most important
in trustworthiness and likeability assessments. Videos of
tandem-masters (the individuals who lead skydivers on skydives) were
edited into audio, video, postural, eyes, intonation, and text
categories. Subjects were provided with two clips in one of the
categories and choose one man as more trustworthy and one as more
likeable. Deciding whom to trust was based on auditory information,
while deciding whom to like was based on visual information. These
results suggest a disconnect between trustworthiness and
likeability.

Susan's project was "Reactive
Transport Model of Anthropogenic Carbon Sequestration." Anthropogenic
greenhouse gases, due to burning of fossil fuels and deforestation,
are a great contributor to global warming. One proposed way to get
rid of carbon dioxide (CO2) is to "sequester" it, or inject it
underground in such a way that it cannot escape. The Earth's crust is
very rich in basalt, a very porous rock, which reacts chemically with
CO2 to form solid carbonates. To offer a realistic solution, however,
the chemical reaction needs to occur more slowly than the diffusion
of the CO2 through a large underground region, otherwise the pores in
the basalt would fill up and the reaction would stop. A multi-physics
package named COMSOL and a chemical-reactions simulation called
PHREEQCi were combined to find that a supersaturated CO2 solution
would completely fill a model aquifer after 80 days, while the
chemical reaction of CO2 into carbonates occurred over a period of
150 years. It would then take over 1,000 years for the volume of
minerals precipitated to equal the amount of pore space available.
Hence, decreasing porosity was found not to limit the effectiveness
of carbon storage in basalt.

Emily's research project was "Design
and Synthesis of a Novel Diphenyl Ether Targeting InhA from
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis to Aid Future Drug Discovery." Two million
deaths each year from tuberculosis, along with the rise of multi-drug
resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, reinforce the need
for novel antibiotics to combat this deadly disease. Emily's project
focused on targeting a certain enzyme in M. tuberculosis, called
InhA, which is involved in the synthesis of components of the cell
wall of the pathogen. Although the enzyme inhibitor she synthesized
did not turn out to be an improvement over the current inhibitors, it
contributes to the understanding of features that are important for
effective inhibition.

John's project was "Cytotoxicity of
Graphene Oxide Nanoribbons on Human Breast Cancer Cells." The focus
of John's research was to study the cytotoxicity of graphene oxide
nanoribbons on human breast cancer cells. Graphene oxide nanoribbons
are a type of carbon-based nonoparticle that has the potential to
revolutionize the field of nanomedicine. These nanoparticles are
currently being explored for their potential medical applications,
such as for molecular imaging of breast cancer tumors and to improve
the accuracy and efficiency of breast cancer treatment.

Patrick's project was "Studies of the
Mechanism by which Human Prostate Cancer Cell Death Is Induced by
Watercress Extract." In the US, one in six men will be diagnosed with
prostate cancer during his lifetime. Chemoprevention is an effective
strategy to prevent tumor development, and dietary vegetables appear
to contain significant chemopreventive ability. Watercress extract
was found to significantly inhibit the growth of human prostate
cancer cells. Phenethyl isothiocyanate, a compound richly found in
watercress, was confirmed to induce prostate cancer cell death. The
results suggest that the compounds in watercress extract including
phenethyl isothiocyanate are chemopreventive agents.

What Intel Entails

Intel, begun in 1942, evaluates
applicants in many areas of involvement. Students must submit a
lengthy written application on an independent science-research
project. Their work must elicit evidence of excellence and
accomplishments. They frequently revise their work, often beginning a
year or more prior to the competition. Projects are evaluated and
scored by a committee of over 100 pre-eminent scientific
professionals based on the online application questions, the research
report, and the overall scientific potential of the student. Research
projects cover many disciplines, including behavioral science,
biochemistry, chemistry, engineering, mathematics, medicine and
health, and physics. "With their dedication and achievement in
disciplines ranging from environmental science to bioengineering, the
2012 Semifinalists have distinguished themselves as the nation's top
young researchers," said Elizabeth Marincola, president of the
Society for Science & the Public. "Together with Intel we
congratulate these exceptional students and commend the mentors,
teachers, schools, parents, and communities that have contributed to
their success." Many Intel alumni hold the world's most prestigious
honors, including the Nobel Prize, National Medal of Science, Fields
Medal, and MacArthur Foundation Fellowship.

Capital Projects Proposition
Vote--Feb. 14

On Tuesday, Feb. 14, qualified voters
in the Great Neck Public School District will be asked to authorize
the proposed $17,184,085 Capital Projects Proposition. This
Proposition will be totally funded from the district's Unassigned
Fund Balance and will have no negative impact on taxpayers.

Voting on the Proposed Capital
Projects Proposition will be held from 7 a.m.-10 p.m., at the Baker
School (69 Baker Hill Rd.) for residents living north of the LIRR,
and at South High School (341 Lakeville Rd.), for residents living
south of the LIRR.

For further information about the
2012 Proposed Capital Projects Proposition, call the district
business office at (516) 441-4020.

What's New: Spring at the Adult
Program

The new Great Neck Public Schools
Adult Program Spring/Summer Catalog should be in your mailbox soon!
The lovely swans gracing the cover invite you to think ahead to
spring and take advantage of our extensive array of classes, special
events, and trips. Most classes meet at the Cumberland Adult Center,
30 Cumberland Ave. (half block south of Northern Blvd., off Lakeville
Road). The Spring/Summer Catalog is current from
April&endash;September 2012. Please retain your catalog through
summer. You are now able to register online via the Adult Program Web
site at www.greatneckadulted.org. View the course options and then
follow the registration link. You will receive your registration
confirmation by e-mail. Our Early Bird Discount runs through March
16: take $5 off each course over $99 (excludes special events, trips,
and computer, driver education, and chess classes). Register for both
the Spring and Summer semesters of a course at the same time and take
an additional $10 off your registration fee.

Brand new to the Adult Program are
Playwriting, Short Story Writing, Theater Workshop, History of Opera,
Origins of World War I, Magic 101, Vintage Handwriting, Papermaking,
Beaded Jewelry Design, French Book Club, Italian for the Traveler,
Yiddish Conversation, Mat Pilates, and Chair Yoga.

Learn a new language or revisit one
from your past--Chinese, French, Spanish, Italian, Hebrew, Yiddish,
and Latin and Greek Roots are taught by dedicated teachers. Play your
game of choice--bridge, canasta, chess, and mah jongg are offered for
beginners as well as more advanced players. Sing alone, in a group,
for fun, in cabaret style; learn piano, armchair conducting, explore
jazz, opera, Gilbert & Sullivan, and theater. If you want to get
moving--try ballroom, swing, Israeli, or belly dancing. Get fit with
Zumba, Nia, yoga, Pilates, aerobics, body workout, hand-weight
training, Qi Gong, Tai Chi, water exercise, meditation, and mostly
seated exercises for seniors.

Join us for interesting and engaging
special events. Margaret Roach, discusses her memoir, A Garden for
365 Days, describing her life from a lucrative publishing career to a
return to nature, the garden, and a quieter life. Author Sandra
Beasly discusses her well-received book, Don't Kill the Birthday
Girl, offering firsthand insight into the world of food allergies.
Two culinary-themed events are on the menu: Francine Segan, foodie
and cookbook author, brings a discussion and tasting of Dolci,
Italy's Sweets. Food maven Arthur Schwartz returns to conduct a
cooking class with simple dishes from the Southern Italian diet,
sampling included. Sina Kiai entertains us with a piano recital
entitled, Impressionism: Piano Music from France. It includes a
pre-concert talk.

More than 30 day trips are planned
including three excursions Philadelphia: van Gogh at the Philadelphia
Museum of Art, the New National Museum of American Jewish History,
and the new Barnes Foundation. See New York in a different light:
Soho Food & Culture Walking Tour, National September 11 Memorial,
Madame Alexander Doll Company Tour with lunch at Alice's Teacup, and
a unique mozzarella-making demonstration and Italian lunch in
Astoria.

Classes for parent/grandparent and
children together include crochet, watercolor, collage, pizza and
cannoli making, and yoga after school.

Chinese for grades 2&endash;5, chess
coaching and playing for grades K&endash;12, and PSAT/SAT preparation
for high school students are also offered. Resident high school
students may enroll in late afternoon, evening, and weekend classes
Adult Program classes, many at a reduced high school rate, as long as
space is available.